University of Mauritius, Mauritius, 21-22 October 2010
SARUA convened a two-day Leadership Dialogue Event, bringing together Vice Chancellors, Deputy Vice Chancellors and Scientists from the southern Africa region to consider how universities in the region might respond to the challenge of climate change and adaptation. The conference title, “Climate Change, Adaptation and Higher Education: Securing our Future” recognises that higher education institutions have an important role to play in facilitating and where possible, directly contributing to building adaptation capacity within society. A series of papers were presented during the first day to lay the foundation and stimulate discussion in the Commission on Teaching and Learning and the Commission on Research and Knowledge Production the following day.
The conference explored trends in regard to the integration of climate change and adaptation concerns in curriculum development and the discussions in the commissions emphasised the need for mainstreaming climate change across programmes in the university. The conference further explored the challenges inherent in researching climate change issues in view of the complex nature of the this phenomenon and the limitations of current paradigms, methodologies and analytical tools. In view of this, discussions in the Commission on Research and Knowledge Production emphasised the need to move beyond the silo-based institutional structures of universities and promoting multi- and trans-disciplinary approaches.
Download the Participants List
Day 1 Presentations